


Play Pretend

by chelsjadexox



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Co-Written, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, J2, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-06-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 14:09:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7055749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelsjadexox/pseuds/chelsjadexox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen wasn’t prepared for it to feel real. He wasn’t prepared to want it to be real.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was Sunday, and therefore Jared Padalecki should not be finding mail in his letterbox. But there is was, the envelope too crisp and white to not have been hand delivered, his name spelt out in perfect gold lettering staring back at him. He knew what it contained; an invite to his sisters graduation party. That alone would not something that sped Jared’s heart up with anxiety, no, this should be a happy moment. A moment surrounded by friends and family, everyone showing how much they love Megan and how proud of her they are. Not a place for life-ruining ex finance’s to turn up with new boyfriends because, _‘Oh we’ve known her so long, she’s practically family_.’

By the next day, what had started out as pretty bad anxiety had become an unbearable constant chest pain every time Jared took a breath. By the time he’d dragged himself from bed and onto set, he felt more exhausted then he had since Sandy had left. Why his family couldn’t just leave the whole situation alone he’d never quite understand. He managed to make his way through costume and makeup, and when he realised he still had a decent amount of time before filming, he set off to find Jensen for any kind of distraction. 

He found his best friend holed up in his trailer playing snake on his phone, looking as calm as ever. “Dude, I need your help,” Jared breathed as he let himself into the trailer, continuing as he sat down on the couch, “Sandy is coming to Megan’s graduation party and I can’t get out of it. And I told my mom I’d bring a date. A date I don’t have, to my sister’s party with my ex.” He finished, letting out a long breath that he didn’t realise he’d been holding. Jensen stayed completely still, an eyebrow raised in Jared’s direction. Jared let out a long sigh and lent back into the couch.

“Beers tonight then I suppose?” Jensen finally moved, dragging his hand through his hair as he threw the most typical Jensen response in Jared’s general direction.

Everything on set that day seemed to drag ten times longer then it needed to. Although the episode they were working on, Ghostfacers, should have had Jared laughing all day, every reset of the set seemed to drain him of energy he didn’t have to begin with. Every time he checked the time it seemed like only seconds had passed. As they continued working well after the sunset, Jensen seemed to have a mission to cheer him up, playing pranks on everyone he could and reminding Jared softly that it was a minute closer to finally having a beer to drown his sorrows. As they finished up and Jared made his way back to his trailer, he finally started to feel some of the tension loosen up in his shoulders. As he wiped off the remaining makeup from his face in his trailer, he knew spending a night in with his best friend would only make him feel at least a little better.

When Jensen got to Jared’s Vancouver apartment, he was holding pizza with two six packs of their shared favourite Canadian beer balanced on top. Jensen let himself in as soon as Jared opened the door, pushing past him to place the food and drinks on the coffee table and sit himself down on the couch. He unscrewed two of the beers and looked over at Jared still standing by the door, raising his eyebrows before Jared finally moved to close the door and join him. The second Jared had a beer in his hand, he felt the final remaining tension in his shoulders relax and he reached for a slice of pizza. Jensen grabbed the remote from the coffee table and flicked through the channels until he settled on a baseball game. He was comfortable in Jared’s home, comfortable enough to treat it as if it was his own. 

After the two had finished up the pizza and the first of the two six packs of beer, Jensen finally turned to Jared, the piercing silence coming from his best friend making him feel strangely uneasy.

“Look Jare, I think you probably need to talk about this.” Jared opened his mouth in response, shutting it again when his voice failed. He tried again to form words but the second he’d started to think about it, the whirring in his brain that he had just managed to silence picked up again. He shook his head in Jensen’s direction.

“No, clearly the logical thing to do here is to drink about it.” Jared made his point even clearer by reaching for two fresh beers and popping the caps in record time. He handed one to Jensen and then immediately turned back to face towards the TV. He whispered a soft “Cheers,” to himself and took a long sip from the glass bottle.

Jared dropped the final empty beer bottle onto the coffee table, and finally broke the silence that had fallen between the two as they flicked between channels and drank. “I think the serious prob-problem here Jensen, is that I lied to my mum about having a date.” He stopped to hiccup softly and then continued, “I would never be able to get a date for this thing. Look at me. I’m a pathetic mess of a person Jensen. No one will ever lo-love me.” When he’d finished his mini rant, Jared looked up to meet Jensen’s eyes. He was faced with a look he’d come to know too well over the last few months, pity. Everyone felt sorry for him now, sorry that she’d cheated on him, sorry that she’d left and sorry that he couldn’t get the answers he needed to let it go. “That’s not true Jare. I think you need to sleep man.” As Jensen spoke he rose from his seat and started to usher Jared to get up.

When Jensen had managed to get a far less than sober Jared to his room and somehow into his spaceship pyjama bottoms, not even trying to get him into the matching shirt, trying to get the taller man to settle in his own bed alone was a whole new problem. “Why can’t you just stay Jay?” Jared asked looking up at Jensen with the puppy dog eyes he saved for special occasions, “There’s so much space right here Jay. Look at how empty the bed is.” Jared continued as he patted the large space next to him. “I’ll stay,” Jensen whispered, “But, no fucking cuddling man.”

When Jared woke the next morning, he had his arm wrapped around a strong and flat torso; his eyes shot open and he looked down to see Jensen in his arms, the older man still peacefully asleep. He carefully untangled himself and crawled out of the bed so he wouldn’t wake Jensen. When he’d made his way to the kitchen, via the bathroom to deal with a slight spot of nausea from the beers he’d consumed the night before, he quickly started preparing his coffee. He’d just sat at the breakfast bar with a warm mug and a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of him when Jensen emerged from the bedroom, rubbing his eyes and hair a mess. 

“Do you know how bad you snore when you’re drunk man?” Jensen asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Jared nodded in reply with a mouth full of cereal. As Jensen began shuffling through the cupboards Jared chimed in to let him know that he wouldn’t find anything healthy anywhere, no matter how hard he tried. When Jensen finally settled on his fate and poured himself a bowl of cereal, he sat next to Jared at the breakfast bar. He comfortingly rubbed Jared’s shoulder and with his mouth full started, “When you were keeping me up with your snoring last night, I got to thinking and I’ve solved your problem,” he took a moment to swallow the rest of his cereal and then looked over at Jared, “Why don’t you take me as your date to the party?”


	2. Chapter 2

Of all the things Jared might have expected Jensen to say in response to his non-stop complaining – that wasn’t one of them. Jared looked up from his breakfast, blinking across at his best friend as he tried to read Jensen’s face in order to decipher if he was fucking with him or not. When he didn’t catch a smirk or roll of the eyes, Jared felt his brow pull together in confusion. Jared in particular always got a kick from walking the line of inappropriate with Jensen, always kissing his face to embarrass him on red carpets or joking about being in love with him. But this? Jared never would have expected this - Especially not from Mr. Privacy Jensen Ackles.

“You’re insane.” Jared chuckled quietly, shaking his head before taking a long sip of his coffee that suddenly didn’t seem half as strong as he needed it to be. This time Jensen did roll his eyes, moving his spoon around in the cereal in his bowl as he tried to find the right words to let Jared know he really was on board with the whole thing. Sure – he wasn’t anywhere near as open when it came to sexuality, and he definitely wasn’t as comfortable with it as Jared was but hey, if his best friend needed his help, he was convinced there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.

“I dunno. Your parents already think we’re too close, and Sandy always bitched that we spent too much time together,” Jensen started in the most casual tone he could muster up, shoving a spoonful of Lucky Charms into his mouth and internally groaning at the overwhelming sugar taste that flooded his tastebuds. “So really, I can’t think of a better way to piss her off and get back at her.” He concluded, looking across at Jared with an innocent expression as Jared tried to process the suggestion being thrown at him from the one person he’d never have expected it from.

“So you, _you,_ want to pretend to be my boyfriend?” Jared asked slowly, careful to articulate each of his words so there was no risk of anything getting lost in translation. Jensen nodded along as Jared spoke; clearly completely unphased by their discussion despite the fact his suggestion was setting Jared’s brain on fire. The younger of the two rose from his seat in silence, placing his bowl in the sink and rinsing it far more thoroughly than he needed to before placing it in the dishwasher.

Jared could faintly make out the sound of footsteps behind him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to turn around and face the older man. When they’d first met, part of Jared thought maybe something would happen between them, but as time went on and they both started dating other people, the thought quickly vanished from his mind. Now Jensen was here and offering to be his pretend boyfriend in front of both their families and friends and Jared had no idea how he was meant to respond. Had they officially reached a point in their friendship where there were no boundaries?

“If you’re worried about the physical part of it, we can just practice so it’s not awkward.” Jensen’s voice came from far closer than it had before, his hands resting low on Jared’s hips, completely catching the young Texan off guard. Jared tried to force his body to relax into the touch, but the second Jensen’s fingers moved less than an inch under his waistband to lightly touch his hip bones –it was too much. Jared heard his spoon drop to the ground before he realized he’d let it go, laughing awkwardly in response to the intimate touch. The sound of the silver spoon hitting the tiled floor seemed to echo in the silence between them, Jared’s heart hammering against his chest as he tried to ignore the fact that the feel of his best friend’s fingertips on his hipbones sent a shiver down his spine.

“What’s your angle here?” Jared asked suspiciously, bending at the knees to pick his spoon up and place it in the dishwasher. With another roll of his eyes, Jensen moved back to sit at the breakfast bar, sipping at his coffee and shoving his mouth full with another spoonful of cereal before taking a deep breath and swivelling in his seat to look across at his best friend. Jared leaned back against the kitchen bench; his eyes tightly focused on Jensen’s face even though his brain was screaming at him to drink his coffee.

“Look – Okay. Just don’t get mad at me for this, okay?” Jensen started, running both his hands through his short hair as he cleared his throat and prepared to say the words to Jared that he was yet to say. He knew everyone had been driving Jared insane by telling him he looked exhausted all the time, knew that Jared hated the people he loved looking at him with sympathetic eyes, and knew that the last thing he needed was Jensen of all people to start jumping on that band wagon, but he no longer felt he had a choice. Jared nodded in a silent promise not to get angry, though the anxiety that bubbled up in his stomach indicated to him that he knew exactly what was coming. Still – he was surprised.

“You look like shit, man. I know you’re trying to keep your head up, but I also know how fucking sad you are all the time, and maybe… I don’t know. I know this is one of those things that nothing I say will help fix. Do you know how much I hate that? How much it fucking sucks knowing there is nothing I can do or say to take this sadness away for you? I can’t take your pain away, but I can walk into that party holding your hand, and I can make her realize what a huge mistake she made the day she climbed into that fucking dickweed’s bed.” Jensen shrugged, letting out a breath after his ramble. Jared blinked blankly across at him, letting his words really sink in. In all honesty, he’d never really thought about how his sadness affected anyone else. He took a long, deep breath before walking over to the breakfast bar to sit across from Jensen again.

Jared had been through a lot, and on some level he knew that Jensen had to deal with the brunt of most of his emotions – good or bad. Still, he was selfish in his suffering, never quite taking the time to think of or approach the fact that his actions had direct effects on the people closest to him, and there was no one closer to him than Jensen. A lot of the time he was there when Jared woke up, they worked in close quarters with one another, passed out together in one of their trailers on multiple occasions and still somehow found themselves together on weekends. The fact Jensen hadn’t gotten fed up and told him to get his shit together by now was mind-blowing to Jared, and it was only then that he realised how truly blessed he was to have the best friend that he did.

 “I’m sorry,” Jared started in a quiet voice, staring down at his hands as he spoke. He was good at feeling every feeling known to mankind, but he’d never been overly good at vocalising them. He shifted in his place; his brow pulled together nervously as he tried to think of what he could ever say to make up to Jensen how shitty his mood had obviously made him feel. Eventually he accepted there was nothing he could say, opting to just let the sorry be enough. For now, anyway. “How would we even go about this?” Jared asked curiously, trying to even out his tone so he seemed as casual as Jensen seemed to be. Jensen smiled across at him, reaching for the invitation that was on the counter beside them to glance over the information.

“Well, it’s a pretty private event, so it’ll be easy enough.” Jensen shrugged, still not helping answer any of the questions Jared had. This was the one way the two of them were completely different. Jensen was happy to walk into a scenario like the one they were discussing with next to no plan, whereas Jared needed just about every second planned and mapped out in his head so he knew what was coming. He hated the unexpected, and he hated that Jensen was so chill about it. He groaned quietly, throwing his head back before glaring across at his best friend.

“You’re driving me insane here, man. I’m going to need some actual answers.” Jared pointed out, grabbing the invite and shaking it between them as if to silently remind him who he was talking to. With a quiet chuckle, Jensen rose to his feet and placed his own bowl and coffee cup in the dishwasher. He placed a hand on Jared’s shoulder, squeezing lightly before walking backwards towards the staircase.

“I’m gonna go shower. We’ll hash out the details when I’m in clean clothes and you don’t smell like stale beer.” Jensen promised, offering a final reassuring smile before disappearing up the stairs, leaving Jared sitting silently in the kitchen by himself trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

The next hour seemed to drag by painfully slow; part of Jared convinced Jensen was taking the longest shower of his life just to piss him off.  He filled his time as best he could, brushing his teeth and changing into fresh clean clothes in hopes of ridding himself of the stale beer smell without having to go to the effort of showering. Jared dropped down onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to figure out how the hell they were going to get away with this. Surely his parents would figure it out, right? Surely Jensen wouldn’t really be open to holding his hand and kissing his face in front of all the people they loved most in the world. Surely he wasn’t really offering to do this. Before he had too much time to think over the topic, Jensen was entering the room dressed in a black V-neck and a pair of jeans he usually left at Jared’s for the nights they passed out together after drinking more beer than they should have.

“Had an embolism from all that thinking yet?” Jensen asked with a quiet chuckle as he dropped down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling in the exact same way Jared was before he entered the room. Despite himself, Jared smiled in response. He wasn’t stupid – he knew all of Jensen’s little jabs about his overthinking or his anxiety were just an attempt to help him relax.

“Are you really going to be comfortable enough to do this?” Jared asked after a few more moments of silence, turning on his side to study Jensen’s profile as he spoke. The older of the two let himself take a few seconds to think it through, knowing that this was one of those things he really did have to be sure of before he committed to it 100%. Jensen sighed quietly, turning to offer Jared a reassuring smile before opening one of his arms out and nodding for him to come closer.

“What happened to ‘no fucking cuddling, man?’” Jared teased, though he didn’t hesitate to roll into Jensen’s side, shyly draping an arm over the toned torso beside him. He could almost hear Jensen rolling his eyes at him as his hand came to rest on Jared’s shoulder, his thumb tracing lightly over the clothed skin in the most comforting way Jared had ever experienced. This was new territory on its own, the two of them never getting this close together without copious amounts of alcohol pulsing through their veins, and even then it never felt as intimate as it did when Jensen turned his head so his lips were resting on the top of Jared’s head.

“See, this isn’t so bad, right? We’ll just… Practice before the party. Get comfortable being a little physical with one another so it’s not so much to adjust to on the night.” Jensen mumbled, not letting Jared see the way his eyes drifted closed contently as the familiar smell of Jared’s coconut shampoo washed over him. Jared grasped lightly at Jensen’s shirt, letting all the tension drain from his body as he nodded his head in a feeble attempt at letting Jensen know he was officially on board with his suggestion.

Then it occurred to him. Was Jensen just doing this because he felt sorry for him? Because he pitied him? Because he just wanted him to shut up? He swallowed hard and let his eyes fall closed, reminding himself over and over again that Jensen never did anything he didn’t want to, and there was no chance Jensen, of all people, would ever do anything that would end up causing Jared discomfort or hurt. He wanted to help him, and it was probably about time Jared let _someone_ help him.

“I just don’t want you to think you have to do this.” Jared replied quietly, his eyes fighting to stay open as Jensen let his hand drift down from Jared’s shoulder to his back, drawing small patterns into his skin until relaxation and comfort took over every ounce of anxiety Jared was feeling. It was quiet for a while after that, Jared timing his breathing with the rhythm of Jensen’s heartbeat beneath his ear; trying to ignore the fact it was beating hard and fast.

“I want to do this, man. It’ll be okay, I promise. It’ll be fun fucking with everyone’s mind.” Jensen smiled, making Jared chuckled quietly before he sighed and nodded his head again. Without another word, Jensen moved his hand that was on the bed until it found its home resting on top of Jared’s. He knew he’d have to be brave if they were going to pull this off, and he knew he had to get comfortable with the whole thing, so without thinking – Jared gently locked their fingers together. His thumb moved across the back of Jensen’s hand, the rough skin a striking contrast to Jared’s soft skin. They lay there together for what felt like hours before Jared finally made a solid decision, taking a deep breath and squeezing Jensen’s hand before he spoke.

“Okay – let’s do it.”


	3. Chapter 3

The next three weeks passed in a blur. A blur of Jared sending off his RSVP to the party with a tick next to ‘plus one,’ and a lot of laughter. Jared was sure that he’d laughed more since Jensen had awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck while trying to teach him to, “Relax your hand-holding, you’re not shaking my hand before a duel, dude,” than he had for at least the ten years previous to the experience. The only thing that seemed to be missing was the moment that it started to feel weird. He’d waited for it, anxiety filled sleepless nights waiting for the moment when Jensen pulled out, or found a boundary, but it just wasn’t happening. In fact, since their little cuddle on the day of the decision they seemed to be closer than ever.

“I just think we need to come up with a believable story,” Jensen’s voice boomed through the speaker of Jared’s phone as he dressed for work. Although the two were practically neighbours, and worked together all day, Jared had grown used to Jensen’s need to call him every time he realised something they needed to work on a little more to make their plan work.

“I don’t get why ‘it just sort of happened,’ isn’t a good idea? No one’s going to look that far into it are they?” Jared asked as he struggled to pull on a sock. Jensen’s reply was nothing but a huffed sigh and three beeps signalling that he’d hung up the phone. Jared didn’t hear another word from Jensen on the topic of their backstory, or lack thereof, until Jensen was letting himself into Jared’s apartment well after 9 that night. 

“Jare, the problem with your story is that literally every person we know is going to be there and I’m sure at least one of our mothers is likely to be offended as to why we didn’t tell them we were together.” Jensen entered the threshold and continued talking as if they were still on the phone this morning, “I, for one, do not want to be the person who has to explain to your mother why we didn’t tell her we got together without an actual story to back us up. Do you really think she’d let us get away with that?” Jensen raised an eyebrow towards Jared and sat himself on the couch opposite him, leaning over to deposit the six pack he’d brought with him on the coffee table. The second Jared could confirm that his best friend was still breathing, and not entering some kind of mother related panic, he let out a loud laugh.

“No man, I totally get where you’re coming from,” Jared explained as he took a sip from his freshly opened beer, “but starting up some epic story about this whole thing is going to leave us a lot of room for error.” Jared swallowed another sip and stared at Jensen; waiting for the older mans reply.

“I fucking hate when you’re right,” Jensen mumbled and grabbed for his beer.

Later that night, with the edge comfortably taken off Jared curled into Jensen’s side and let his head in the curve of his shoulder where it seemed to fit so perfectly and quietly asked.

“Don’t you think it says something about our friendship that we don’t need to really convince people that we’re together?” Jared asked sleepily into the dark room around them. Jensen simply hummed in response as they drifted off to sleep.

It wasn’t until a week later that Jared really started to panic. With the party less than three days away, the seriousness of what he and Jensen were about to embark on really started to hit him. After a quiet morning on set he found himself holed up in his trailer, completely alone for what felt like the first time in months. He tried reading over the scripts for the coming weeks, but with his brain in overdrive, couldn’t focus on even a short sentence on the page in front of him. 

“This is such a stupid idea,” he angrily spoke aloud to his belongings, “such a fucking stupid idea. Everyone is going to see right through this whole thing.” He threw the script he was still holding onto the floor and sat himself down on the couch, forcing himself to take a deep breath and hold it for five seconds before slowly releasing it, letting his head fall into his shaking hands. 

It was there that Jensen found him several hours later. In that time Jared hadn’t moved an inch, concentrating on his breathing and calming his heart rate too much to have noticed how much time had passed. Jensen sat himself next to Jared in complete silence, pulling the younger boy towards him and wrapping his arms around his waist. 

The next day Jensen still hadn’t said a word to Jared about his minor breakdown. They ate breakfast together as usual, and as they had no work, watched the previous night’s baseball game in companionable silence. The only difference that Jared was able to pick up on was for once it seemed as though Jensen wasn’t tiptoeing around him anymore. Even though the day before had seemed like he’d travelled months backwards mentally, with the dawn of a new day and his best friend by his side, he felt more content than he had in a long time.

Later that afternoon, Cliff made a special delivery to Jared’s door; Two perfectly pressed new suits for the upcoming party. As Cliff made an effort to go over with Jensen that they needed to take extra care with the outfits, Jared had already carried the bags upstairs and into his room, making light work of unbagging the suits and hanging them next to each other to compare every detail, down to their matching pocket squares. When Jensen joined him in his room, he stood next to Jared and leant his head against the taller man’s shoulder.

“I think we’re going to look pretty decent.” He whispered as he reached out to run a light finger against the material of the jacket he would be wearing. When Jared climbed into his bed that night, he looked over the suits and felt something settle inside himself. He let out a sigh of relief he felt like he’d been holding onto since the previous day and let his head settle on the pillow that had become Jensen’s.

He woke the next morning to a non-stop ringing. Every time it would go away, it seemed to come back just seconds later even louder than before. He blindly reached across the bed to grab his phone, answering the call and letting out a short, “What,” before he’d even placed the device against his ear. 

“Someone’s grumpy this morning, aren’t they?” Jensen greeted with a chuckle. Jared grunted into the phone and quickly sat up. 

“Well, this is a business call, so buck up dude. We have a serious issue,” Jensen continued as Jared’s heart rate picked up, “I woke up this morning and realised, people are going to expect us to kiss at this thing - Something that we have not dedicated any practice time to. Annnnd since it took so long to get you to hold hands correctly it’s probably going to take some work.” As Jensen finally grew quiet, Jared’s heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. Although he knew that this was something that at some point would come up, he had been mentally blocking the thoughts. He finally replied to Jensen with a simple “O-kay?” Jensen took this as enough encouragement to start talking at lightning speed again.

“So I’ll be around later okay? Maybe about six? We’re going to have to work on this.” Jared made an affirmative grunt into the phone and waited for Jensen to disconnect the line before he threw his arm over his eyes and groaned lowly.

Apparently Jensen’s idea of six was much closer to seven and included burgers and beers brought to Jared’s door. Jared had been prepared for Jensen’s arrival since midday. He’d brushed his teeth three times, had a game lined up to play at the click of a button and had placed plates and an emergency bottle opener on the coffee table. As he ushered his best friend through the apartment that they both knew like the back of their hands, he’d never felt more nervous. As they sat and ate, the silence felt less like companionship and far more like nerves and awkwardness. After they had finished their meal and Jared had stacked the dishwasher they kept the TV on, flicking through channels as they sipped their drinks faster than they needed to, both avoiding starting the conversation. 

Sometime after the clock struck 9, Jensen got up from his usual seat and came to sit next to Jared on the couch, laying his open hand on Jared’s thigh as he did so. He looked up at the taller man and started, “We’ve both had some liquid courage now, so this shouldn’t be too bad for anyone. But just tell me to stop if you need me to, okay?” He kept his eye contact with Jared until he was nodding in reply and then leant up to connect his lips with Jared’s cheek.

“See not too bad is it?” Jensen asked, and while Jared shook his head to say no, his heart rate had picked up to a new high. It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten a kiss on the cheek from Jensen, and he’d gotten a lot worse in public from him. But he couldn’t pick if it was nerves or the intimacy of a private moment that had a slight shiver running up his spine, but he actively chose to ignore it as he felt Jensen’s lips press against his temple.

“It’s all about being comfortable. Once we pass the barrier of first kiss awkwardness and get comfortable we can make it look like second nature.” Jensen spoke into Jared’s hair as his lips pressed against his cheek again. Jared nodded slightly and moved so that he could press his lips against Jensen’s cheek at the same time. They both let a soft giggle at the same moment as they both moved to kiss the opposite cheek. 

“Here goes nothing then,” Jensen’s voice was soft that Jared almost missed it. What he didn’t miss was the exact moment that their faces moved to softly brush their lips together. The second it happened lasted no time at all, but at the same time felt like a life time, like drowning and coming up for air at the same moment. Jared moved his hand to hold Jensen’s face as their lips met again, softly moulding to each other. After another few short kisses they both pulled back, Jared running his hand through his hair and Jensen pulling at a loose thread on his jeans. When they both grew the courage to look back at the other, their eyes met and both men dissolved into giggles.

Shortly after the kiss, Jensen excused himself to use the bathroom, and Jared let himself take the few moments he had to pull his breathing back to normal. After Jensen returned the two finally picked their normal conversation and flicked between TV shows until Jared’s yawns became too much to ignore. Whilst the two had spent more nights together than alone since they’d hatched this plan, it felt weird to be changing and climbing into bed with the person they had just shared an oddly intimate moment with. Jensen seemed determined to not let it become awkward as he settled under the sheets and pulled Jared closer to him. Jared was so thankful that the no cuddling rule had truly come to an end and he tangled his legs between Jensen’s and leant his head against him. The only difference falling asleep that night to any other night was the soft kiss pressed to Jared’s hair as he dropped off.

On the day of the party, Jared found himself too concerned about making sure he and Jensen had packed everything they needed and would make it to the airport on time to give his anxiety a chance to overrule him. Once they we’re settled on the plane they went over their plan again and Jared managed to get in a small nap. They’d organised to stay in a hotel rather than with either of their parents on the trip to avoid any extra early conversations that could cause slip ups. And by the time they’d checked into the hotel and gotten changed into their fancy suits, Jared realised he hadn’t allowed himself _any_ time at all to panic about the situation. Once they were sat side by side in Jensen’s truck, Jared realised the true reason he wasn’t panicking had very little to do with the situation, but more to do with the hand that had been holding his since take off that morning.

Once they’d exited the car and made it inside to check their coats, all they had was a few private moments for Jensen to adjust Jared’s tie, and to quickly whisper in his ear, “You’ve got this,” before they squeezed their fingers together tightly and were ushered into the main party room. 

In true Padalecki family style, Jared had been in the room for under ten seconds before his mother’s voice was booming across the room, “Jared Tristan! And is that a Mr. Ackles I see on your arm? Both of you get here now and give me a hug!” The boys were fast to make their way over to Sharon, greeting her with warm hugs. “I didn’t know you were coming Jensen, we never got your RSVP. What changed?” Sharon’s question had Jared’s heart rate sky rocketing. This was the moment. Jensen subtly squeezed his fingers in quiet moment of comfort before Jared replied.

 “Well mom, that’s because Jensen was RSVP’d on my invite. He’s here as my date, my boyfriend.” The moment the words left Jared’s mouth, his mother’s smile tripled in size as she pulled them both in for a hug.

“Oh I’m so happy for you both,” She whispered as she squeezed them both tightly. When they’d been released Sharon quickly wiped under her eyes and continued, “Well go on and mingle! Try not to steal Megan’s spotlight Jared, you know what she gets like. And Jensen, I must go and find your parents, they’re here somewhere. I know you won’t mind my telling them.” She started to walk off before even finishing her sentence, leaving Jared and Jensen standing awkwardly by the drinks table. The two shared a soft giggle as they both whispered, “Mothers,” under their breath. 

After grabbing drinks, exchanging quick greetings with everyone they knew, and avoiding a swift kick to the shin from Megan, Jensen excused himself to go and have a cigarette, Jared following quickly behind. When they’d made it outside and found somewhere to sit themselves down, they barely had a moment to collect themselves before Donna and Alan were ambushing them. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell us first, do you know how much money we lost on the bet about you two getting together? We never thought you’d get your business together enough to actually get together.” Donna spoke quickly, and Jared realised that Jensen had definitely inherited that from his mother. The boys chuckled in reply, both lost for words that their family members had placed bets on them getting together. 

After Jensen’s parents had moved on, Jared finally let out a sigh of relief as Jensen lit his cigarette.  The first part of their evening had been an undoubtable success. And Jared was feeling almost no stress about bumping into Sandy whenever she turned up. After Jensen had butted out his cigarette the two rose from their seats, immediately seeking the others hand to hold as had become the norm. As they made their way back towards the door, hands swinging between them and shoulders bumping, their heads perked up as they heard a mutter from behind them.

“I should have known he’d turn out to be fucking gay.” Sandy muttered as she pushed past them to enter the hall. 


	4. Chapter 4

Jared instinctively closed his eyes at the sound of his ex-fiancés voice, his heart sinking in his chest as he felt Jensen’s grip on his hand tighten in his to let him know he’d heard it too. Jared liked to think he knew Jensen as well as he knew himself, which is why he was so caught off guard when his best friend suddenly pulled them to a stop and turned towards Sandy. He whispered a pointless ‘don’t’ to Jensen, but the older man had clearly reached a decision in his mind as he caught Sandy’s eye.

“Where the hell do you, of all people, get off on passing judgement?” Jensen started, his voice taking a darker, more protective tone that Jared had never heard before. He could see Jensen’s parent’s from the corner of his eye, his dad clearly ready to intervene should the situation call for it. Jared hadn’t seen his ex since the morning she’d left him, and seeing her now about to go toe-to-toe with Jensen was far more confronting than he would have expected. These were the two people he loved the most in the world, the two people he thought would always be by his side – and based on the way they were looking at each other now, they were going to kill each other.

“You’re sleeping with my ex-boyfriend; I’m allowed to judge as much as I want.” Sandy spat back, that all too familiar glare that was usually saved for Jared suddenly being thrown in Jensen’s direction. He squeezed his best friends hand, silently letting him know he couldn’t be more uncomfortable, but Jensen was far too caught up in protecting him to pay much attention to the subtle action.

“He wouldn’t be your ex if you didn’t sleep with every guy who looked at you twice.” Jensen chuckled far too hysterically than needed, a dark smile on his face as he looked back at Jared’s ex with an expression that let Jared know he was about to throw something nasty her way. “Why he wasted a single second on you, I’ll never know.” He knew Jensen was only saying and doing what he was in an attempt to protect him and hurt her, but Jared could feel his heart start to speed up to a dangerous level, tugging on Jensen’s hand harder this time to really get his message across.

“This isn’t the place for this.” Jared interrupted weakly just as Sandy opened her mouth to throw back a snarky comment, the way she stepped towards Jensen as she did so convincing Jared this was all going to end really badly if he didn’t put an end to it. A small smile played on his ex’s face as she turned her attention on him for the first time since their little interaction began; looking him up and down before her eyes drifted back to Jensen.

“Does he complain around the clock about every fucking little thing to you too? Hm? Does he make you play with his precious little hair when life gets too hard?” Her words caught Jared off guard, the two of them never having fought over his anxiety or his mental health issues. He blinked across at her as she stared directly at Jensen, waiting to see if he’d take the bait and get into the screaming match she was obviously preparing for. Jensen’s eyes relaxed as his thumb moved lightly over the back of Jared’s hand before bringing it to his face so he could kiss the inside of his wrist.

“Yeah, I play with his hair when he’s feeling overwhelmed. And I help him get into bed when he’s had too much to drink and can barely stand. I shower with him when he’s exhausted. I sit and listen when he needs me to, and I give him advice when I need him to. You know why?” Jensen asked, all anger and frustration drained from his voice as he turned to offer Jared a light, reassuring smile. “Because I love him.” Jensen stated simply, the words causing all the anxiety Jared was feeling to drain from his body to make space for the overwhelming calm and love he began to feel. Jensen turned back to Sandy before he continued, clearly no longer feeling any of the rage he was before.

“And when you love someone, you help them keep their head up. You don’t use their mental health as a reason to cheat on them and walk away. You stay and you fight with them every day because you know that if you don’t and something happens to them – your life may as well be over too.” Jensen swallowed around the lump in the back of his throat, the truth behind his own words catching him off guard as he looked back to Jared. “I love you.” Jensen whispered, leaning up to press his lips to Jared’s softer than he had any of the times they’d practiced at home before the party.

“I love you too.” Jared smiled, his nose brushing lightly across Jensen’s. By the time he looked up again, Sandy was gone. It didn’t escape him that even though she was no longer anywhere in sight, his hand was still comfortably laced with Jensen’s, their bodies pressed together in such a way that wouldn’t make it hard for anyone to believe they really were in love. The weirdest part? Jared had absolutely no desire to be anywhere but exactly where he was. Jensen subtly ushered them inside, grabbing two glasses of champagne before they found a quiet place to sit and have a moment to themselves.

“I’m sorry if I got a little too intense back there.” Jensen apologised quietly, staring down into his glass shyly despite the fact his hand was comfortable resting on Jared’s knee. This was something they hadn’t discussed, and something that probably should have been at the top of the list of things that needed discussing. They hadn’t come up with a plan for if Sandy did approach them, and Jensen was having a brief panic that he’d said too much, that he’d crossed that invisible line in the sand and made it all feel a little too real to Jared.

“Did you mean it? All that stuff you said?” Jared asked, his voice mirroring the quiet timidness that Jensen displayed moments earlier. A beat of silence lingered between them, Jensen opting to give his best friends knee a light squeeze before rising to his feet and holding his hand out in Jared’s direction. If there was one thing Jared had learned over the few years of being Jensen’s best friend, it was when to push and when to let things go. So rather than pushing the topic, he let a smile make its way onto his face as he took Jensen’s hand and headed over to where his brother was sitting with his wife perched happily in his lap where it’s where she was made to be. With a quick nod hello, Jared and Jensen got comfortable in their seats across from the two lovebirds, clearly still stuck in their newlywed phase as they rubbed their noses together and giggled at some whispered inside joke.

“Do you think we’ll ever have that?” Jared asked in a hushed voice, gesturing to the two before them. Jensen sighed quietly, a smile planted firmly on his face as he nodded his head and redirected his attention to Jared’s eyes. His hand was resting comfortable around Jared’s back, his thumb moving in small up and down motions as he cleared his throat and the smile quickly vanished from his face, his eyes suddenly looking anywhere but at the curious blue/green eyes that were staring across at him. The butterflies that fluttered through his stomach were unexpected, causing a slight frown to appear on the older man’s face.

They barely got to enjoy their five minutes of quiet time before Jensen’s mom was hovering around them, throwing so many questions at them that they could barely keep up. Thankfully, this is something they _had_ prepared for. They responded with perfectly rehearsed responses, Jared even opting to elaborate and come up with a sweet little story about their first date. He told of casual tailored suits, a bouquet of daisy’s, and a night of lying under the stars listing of the things they missed about home – and the things they missed about each other when they were gone. There were too many details for it to be made up on the spot, Jensen’s eyebrows pulling together as he tried to figure out how the hell he’d managed to think of something that was so romantic, low key, and somehow exactly what he’d want if they did have a first date.

“And then I told him I’d spent the best part of three years planning our date, and that I better get a kiss out of it and – yeah. He was mine.” Jared smiled, scrunching his nose up in a way that made Jensen’s heart falter as he turned to press a light kiss to the side his face as if everything he was saying was true. Jensen knew this whole thing was his idea, that he was the one who suggested they kiss and hold hands and play up the whole couple thing, but he wasn’t prepared for this. He wasn’t prepared for it to feel real. He wasn’t prepared to want it to be real. He let Jared continue ranting about little things in their make believe relationship until he couldn’t handle it anymore, patiently waiting until there was brief silence before sliding his hand into Jared’s again.

“Wanna dance?” He offered, though he was already rising from his seat and lightly tugging Jared up with him. Jared quickly promised he’d answer any other questions Donna had for them when they got back, Jensen only pulling him away faster until they were positioned in the corner of the dance floor closest to the far wall. They fell into an easy rhythm, Jensen’s arm winding around Jared’s waist while Jared’s moved to rest around Jensen’s neck. Their hands fit together too well, Jensen blinking at where they met as they silently moved together slowly in time with the music.

“Are you okay?” Jared asked quietly, feeling the slight tension in Jensen’s shoulders. Jensen nodded without saying a word, hesitating for a beat before moving his body as close to Jared’s as he could. His head moved to rest comfortably on his friend’s chest, the lump forming in the back of his throat leaving him no choice but to cough into Jared’s suit. He felt Jared chuckle before he heard him, rolling his eyes as he pulled back a little to look up at him.

“All that first date stuff… That was… Well thought through. Y’know, considering we didn’t talk about that at all.” Jensen started after another beat of silence, letting his words linger in the air as he waited for a response. When he didn’t get one, he moved his head to rest on Jared’s so any words spoken between them could remain whispered. Jensen knew Jared wasn’t comfortable talking about intimate things sometimes, and considered that perhaps not being able to see his eyes would make it easier for the younger Texan. He was right.

“It was true, so. Yeah, I didn’t have to think it through all that much.” Jared offered, completely catching Jensen off guard for what felt like the hundredth time that night. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. In their friendship, Jensen had always been the one who was most sure of himself. He was the one who never doubted anything, who always knew exactly what was happening all the time. For the first time in three years, he was lost, and it was oddly unsettling.

Jensen would be lying if he said he’d never thought about the two of them taking their friendship to another level, but the second he saw how in love with Sandy Jared was, it hadn’t occurred to him that maybe Jared swung both ways. For the first few weeks of their friendship, it was impossible for Jensen to focus on anything other than the way Jared moved. The way Jared spoke. The way Jared smiled. The way Jared was so unapologetically… Jared. Now he was standing with their bodies pressed tightly together and was suddenly remembering all of those things that made him want him so much when they first met.

“Well, that would have been a hard offer to turn down.” He smiled, feeling Jared’s dimple against his cheek when he mirrored the smile that was now plastered on Jared’s lips. They didn’t need to say more than that. Not now, anyway. As the night dragged on, more and more people had made sure both Jared and Jensen knew that they’d always been rooting for them together, and at one point Jared made a joke about how Jensen just took too damn long to open his eyes. At least Jensen thought it was a joke. The party started to die down after Megan opened all her presents, the car their father gifted her with by far the most exciting to his little sister, and people began head over to them every two minutes to kiss their faces and tell them again how happy they were that they’d both opened their eyes.

“I’m happy we have to.” Jared replied to his aunt, his eyes locked with Jensen’s as he spoke over her shoulder. Jensen felt a light blush creep onto his cheeks in response, merely playfully rolling his eyes in response. They waited until just about everyone had left and Jared was fighting to keep his eyes open as his head rested comfortable on Jensen’s shoulder while he had his third cigarette of the night before they decided it was time to head home. After agreeing to have their parents over for dinner as soon as time and work commitments permitted and letting Megan punch them both in the arm for stealing her thunder again, they made their way out to Jensen’s truck.

They walked in comfortable silence, Jared instinctively leaning into Jensen’s side and resting his head back on his shoulder as they reached the truck. Without hesitating, Jared pulled his jacket off and tossed into the backseat, his tie not far behind as he unbuttoned the top three buttons on his shirt so he could breathe a little easier before climbing into the passenger seat.

“That wasn’t so bad, right?” Jensen yawned, a slight smile on his face as he turned the car on, pulling his suit jacket off and tossing it into the backseat as Jared stared across at him. The smile immediately disappeared from Jensen’s face as he mentally tried to calculate where he’d made an error during the night. He didn’t have to wonder for long, Jared’s hand suddenly cupping his face as his thumb traced lightly across Jensen’s cheekbone. Against his better judgement, Jensen let his eyes slip closed and his face nuzzled into the warm, soft hand that he didn’t seem to be able to get enough of.

Jared watched Jensen’s face closely, the dim light from the carpark making his striking features suddenly seem far softer than before. When Jensen eyes opened, the usually bright green eyes that were looking across at him appeared softer; more loving than they ever had. He noted the way his best friend’s brow pulled together in slight confusion at the way Jared was staring across at him and offered the most reassuring smile he could muster up before he leaned closer. Jensen seemed to catch onto what was coming, his whole face relaxing as his eyes cast their way down to Jared’s lips.

“Okay?” Jared asked, their faces so close together that Jensen could feel warm breath against his lips when Jared spoke. He nodded subtly, swallowing hard just in time to take in the feel of Jared’s lips lightly pressing against his. The kiss didn’t last long, but it was filled with more feeling than any the two of them had shared previously. A quiet whining sound came from Jensen’s throat when Jared pulled back just far enough to rest their foreheads together, both the men keeping their eyes closed as they noted the obvious shift in their friendship the night had inspired.

“Kiss me again.” Jensen whispered, barely getting the words out before Jared _was_ kissing him again. It started as soft as the first, but before either of them knew what was happening, Jensen had Jared’s bottom lip caught between his teeth and they were struggling to get closer to one another.

This wasn’t how the night was supposed to go. This isn’t what they planned, but as Jensen drove them back to the hotel with his hand resting comfortably on Jared’s thigh – they both knew nothing was ever going to be the same.

 


End file.
